Slate’sMost Read Stories

The 10 most popular articles of 2008.

Most years, when Slate chronicles its most-read stories, the list is full of froth: In 2005, readers clicked on stories about dogs, beer, and naked ladies; in 2006, it was articles about hail and Whole Foods; last year, Crocs, The Secret, The Sopranos, and trampy teens. But this year, hard news had its revenge. Our top stories were about the election, the economy, and—in the case of our most-read story, about McCain’s fatally incompetent response to the financial meltdown—how the economy decided the election. Below, you’ll find a list of the 10 articles and five slide shows that attracted the most readers this year.